How to Import Grapes and Stone Fruits to Brazil
Despite Brazil being a country renowned for its fruit, it still imports some specific ones such as grapes and stone fruits. In this article, we will explain how to import these fruits to Brazil.
Overview
Despite 81.000 hectares of vineyards in Southern Brazil and the Northern regions and national production of 606 millions kilograms in 2014, most of the Brazilian grapes are not consumed in their natural form. In fact, 90% of all grapes produced in Brazil are used for the making of wine, since they are considered too acidic for anything else.
On the other hand, the production of stone fruits in Brazil is not large, with Brazilian farmers growing only a few varieties. Also, stone fruits have a small harvesting time frame due to the Brazilian weather and a great part of what is produced is destined to be industrialized. Between 2010 and 2012, more than USD 92,3 million of stone fruits were imported to Brazil, a growth of 80% when compared to the period between 2007 and 2009.
With this scenario, along with Brazilian consumers starting to look for different and better varieties of products, imports of these fruits have risen.
Involved Entities
The involved entities responsible in the fiscalization and supervision of the import of fruits to Brazil, whether raw or not are:
- The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, MAPA. MAPA aims to prevent the entry and spread of pests that could be a threat to national agriculture, ensuring the health of products and the quality of imported and exported agricultural inputs
- Vigiagro, which is the International Agricultural Surveillance System, is responsible for inspecting and supervising the international traffic of animals and plants, their products and by-products
- The National Health Surveillance Agency, ANVISA. ANVISA works in order to make sure that imported products are compliant with Brazilian sanitary requirements
Necessary Documentation and Procedures
When importing fruits to Brazil, it is necessary to specify whether they are fresh or industrialized.
Fresh Fruits
Before importing any product to Brazil, the importer needs to be registered with Siscomex, which is the Brazilian Foreign Trade Integrated System, where all foreign trade operations are registered and tracked by the Receita Federal, the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service.
An Import Declaration is to be registered with Siscomex before the imported products are loaded abroad. In order to get an Import Declaration, the following documents need to be presented:
- Original bill of lading
- Original commercial invoice signed by the exporter
- Packing list where applicable
All fresh fruits are subject to special import authorization by the Brazilian Government prior to loading abroad, and this is no different for fresh grapes and fresh stone fruits. Thus, the importer needs to request an Import License from Siscomex. The Import License will then be analysed by MAPA and ANVISA, which will either authorize or deny the request to import the products.
The necessary documents for the import of fresh grapes and fresh stone fruits to Brazil are:
- Requerimento para Fiscalização de Produtos Agropecuários - Formulário V, which is Portuguese for Application for Supervision of Agricultural Products - Form V
- Prior import authorization with requirements and guidance on procedures to be adopted
- Copy of Certificate of Origin, duly sworn translated
- Import License Extract or Simplified Import License Extract
In addition to these, an International Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the Official Phytosanitary Service in the country of origin containing the following information needs to be provided:
- Country of origin
- Name and address of shipper
- Name and address of recipient
- Quantity
- Nature of the goods
- Type of packaging
Should the International Phytosanitary Certificate not be in Portuguese, a sworn translation will be necessary.
When the products arrive in Brazil, they are subject to sanitary inspection by Vigiagro agents. If cleared of any plagues or parasites, the products will be cleared from customs. After the customs clearance process is completed and the respective taxes are duly paid, a Proof of Import is issued to the importer, effectively promoting the nationalization of the imported products. This is an electronic document issued by the Federal Revenue.
These documents and procedures are valid for the import of grapes and stone fruits that dehydrated naturally. For fruits that were dehydrated artificially, please read below.
Industrialized Fruits
Industrialized fruits follow slightly different procedures when being imported to Brazil. In the case of fruits in syrup, they do not require an import license or any type of phytosanitary control, since they are not considered capable of conveying plagues and parasites due to their level of processing.
As to fruits that were artificially dehydrated, they are considered able of conveying plagues and parasites. In this case, an import license is required, although the only products that need to be presented are:
- Application for Supervision of Agricultural Products - Form V
- Prior import authorization with requirements and guidance on procedures to be adopted
Taxes
Both grapes and stone fruits are subject to the same tax rates, which are:
- Import Duty - 10%
- ICMS - 18% in the state of São Paulo, for example, as it is a state tax
- PIS - 1,65%
- COFINS - 7,60%